U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Toyota on May 10 that Washington "will not sleep" until it is sure the Japanese car giant has improved safety and did not rule out the possibility of more fines.
During a visit to Toyota's headquarters, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that he and Toyota president Akio Toyoda met for "tough, but respectful and serious discussions" about Toyota's commitment to safety.
While Toyota's safety pledges since the crisis erupted have been "very encouraging," LaHood warned that the U.S government "will watch very carefully for improvements" and will look for tangible results from the automaker.
"The proof is in the pudding, and Mr. Toyoda understands what that means," said LaHood. "It's fine to have these measures in place but they need to be carried out. We will not sleep until we are sure that all Toyota vehicles are safe for American drivers."
He warned the possibility of the automaker being hit with another fine, after it agreed to pay a record $16.4 million in April to settle claims it hid defects, hinged on an ongoing review of 500,000 internal documents. "We will review all of the documents that we have received. We will make a decision on what happens after that," he said.
The U.S. transportation chief had previously criticized Toyota for the length of time it took to respond to its recent quality issues, describing the company as "safety deaf" in congressional hearings in February.
His invitation to the auto giant's headquarters follows Toyoda's February trip to the United States when the Toyota chief tearfully apologized for safety woes following a tense appearance at a congressional hearing into the problems. Toyoda pledged to overhaul quality control measures, including creating a new U.S. safety post, and requiring executives to do test-drives. The company has also said it will speed up the recall process and improve quality control.
"We are making strong progress in delivering on our commitment," Toyoda said, adding that the company was working "to ensure that all Toyota vehicles remain safe and reliable for our customers."
View article on one page